Home Decorating Tips

BY THE EDITORS OF PUBLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL, LTD.

CROWN MOLDING AND BUILT IN BOOK SHELVES ARE JUST SOME OF THE FEATURES YOU MAY BE ABLE TO CHOOSE IN A NEWLY BUILT HOME.

If you have decided to buy a new house, be sure to work closely with your architect or builder not only in devising blueprints but also as the structure takes shape. If adjustments or substitutions are in the plans, make sure you have final approval.

Small changes, such as an extra counter where the kids can hunker down for a snack or no shelf in the bath, will impact how each room functions. Use these decorating tips for new homes as you begin to make your plans.

Integrating New Decorating Ideas

THE SKY MURAL ON THE CEILING MAKES THIS ROOM UNIQUE.

Decorating one room often affects adjoining rooms, so it’s important to integrate new decorating ideas. If you’re content with the space next door, draw on its colors, furnishings, and overall flavor for ideas. Maintaining a similar palette will foster cohesion.

If the adjacent room is scheduled for a fix-up at a later date, consider it in your initial plans when picking paint or fabric. If you’re hoping to eventually add rooms or remodel other areas of the house, be careful not to put structural elements or plumbing in places that will obstruct future endeavors.

Consider these easy-to-do, unifying tips:

Blur boundaries by painting rooms the same color, or employ different shades of a similar color with slight tonal variations. You could use pale yellow, golden yellow, and cream in one room. Combine deeply saturated colors (green) with lighter versions (sage).
Install similar flooring such as sisal, wood, or tile. Floors can also be married by color; for instance, wed light brown tile with a deeper brown carpet. If you’re unable to replace the flooring, merge rooms with like-colored area rugs.
Repeat texture throughout the space. Think velvet drapes in the dining room, velvet-upholstered chairs in the study.
Employ similar patterns: Dining room chairs with black-and-white-checked fabric could mirror the kitchen’s checkerboard floor. Call in different patterns in the same color range, or combine similar patterns in reverse: a raspberry-toned fabric with jolts of white and blue here, blue-toned fabric splashed with raspberry and white there.
Tie spaces together with architectural elements: wainscoting in the bath and bedroom, chair rails and crown moldings in the living and dining rooms.

Not only should rooms be visually pleasing, they should also be adapted to the way you live your life. On the next page, learn how to integrate form and function in your decorating.

Form and Function in Decorating

THIS LIVING ROOM AND DINING ROOM COMBO IS IDEAL FOR HOSTING PARTIES. BUT THE ELEGANT WHITE FURNITURE AND SHINY FLOORS ARE BEST SUITED TO ADULTS.

Form and function in decorating are equally important. Every room should reflect your personality and passions, while it also accommodates the way you and your family live, work, and relax. A room that looks heavenly but doesn’t live up to your requirements ultimately comes across as disjointed or, worse, unfriendly.

For each room, ask yourself the same questions: How do I want this space to appear (cheerful, formal, dramatic)? Who will be using it (adults, children, both)? How should it function (a busy work hub, a niche for relaxation, a place to entertain)?

Do you think you want to use brocade and silk? Don’t, if your household consists of children and pets. Washable, long-wearing fabrics are far more sensible. Life is too short to worry over every spill and stain. Put the all-white-living-room theme on hold until the children are grown, and opt for fuss-free upholstery and slipcovers that won’t show dog hair.

If you crave a more formal tone, achieve it by incorporating deep colors, textures, and patterns. Plan draperies that skim the floor rather than puddle (too tempting for kids and pets). Also, art — paintings, framed prints, or watercolors — will ratchet up the tenor of any room and can be hung high enough so finger and nose smudges won’t be issues. Include built-in cabinets or shelves to show off collectibles, but be sure to keep them out of harm’s way.

Entertainment units and armoires can serve both adults and kids. Declare the top portion for parents, and designate one or two lower shelves for kids to store their games and storybooks.

Who will be watching television? If more than two people will be, a sofa and a chair facing the set won’t fly. Four or more family members — with visitors coming and going — require a bevy of comfy seats. In addition to a sofa and some chairs, move in oversize floor pillows for lounging. A scaled-down rocker is a welcoming spot for a youngster.

And plenty of side tables (make these folding if footage is scarce) fashion a home for snacks and drinks. Because feet seem to like to rest on the coffee table, hunt for one that is solid, and vanquish less-rugged furnishings to another part of the house. Tables with laminate or varnished surfaces will withstand rings left behind by wet glasses.

What about the kitchen, the heart of your home? Do you or any other occupants cook? Do you want to prepare dinner and monitor the kids’ homework at the same time? Separate work stations, dual sinks, and properly mapped aisles will foster efficiency, while an island will protect the chef and, at the same time, provide a roost for friends and family.

Equal thought should be carried over to every room. If your bath is frequented by the whole family, it’s more important than ever to plan carefully. Along with choosing the proper materials, you’ll want plentiful storage for towels and supplies.

A pair of sinks, a tub, a separate shower, and a toilet sequestered in its own private compartment will make the space usable for two on busy mornings.

Bedrooms should be sanctuaries. A master suite with a bathroom is the epitome of luxury. But any bedroom rises to new levels of comfort given the proper amenities. Come-rest-awhile furnishings, bedside lighting for reading, a window with a view of treetops and sky? What will please you most?

Of course, sometimes we must plan multipurpose rooms. No dining room? A drop-leaf table set on one side of the living room provides an instant dining area. When company is due, shift the table away from the wall and slide in a bench. Arrange chairs on the opposite side. Think about fashioning a home office with a sofa that opens into a bed to accommodate guests.

In order to utilize a small space, select a combination corner table and desk along with hanging shelves. Panache? Have your office chair custom-covered to match the sofa.

Once you’ve ascertained how a room should function, focus on how you want it to feel and what sort of mood you wish to create. Small gestures such as extra pillows, a soft throw, or a scented candle bring instant ambience. The most effective interiors develop personalities based on lighting, fabrics, furnishings, and color.

If you’re the perky morning type, zestier colors are for you. Introverts might prefer snugger spaces with less-vibrant hues. Generally (nothing is written in stone), kitchens, family rooms, children’s bedrooms, and baths tend to be bright in color. Formal living rooms, dining rooms, and studies lean toward subdued colors and tranquil patterns in limited numbers.

Searching for a special persona, a unique element, or a specific color? Investigate paint and fabric brochures, decorating magazines and books, furniture catalogs, and Web sites of product manufacturers.

Look to designer show houses, builder show homes, and your garden. Decorators have long known that the trigger to a whole room can often be something as simple as a summer flower.

Now that you have a general design plan in mind, it’s time to examine the space you intend to decorate. On the next page, find out how best to evaluate the bare bones of the room and the structure with which you have to work.

Tips for Starting a Decorating Project

THE ANGLED, PATTERNED TILES OF THIS BATHROOM WIDEN THE SPACE, WHILE THE FAUX FINISHED WALLS AND MOSAIC BACKSPLASH ADD INTERESTING TOUCHES AT EYE LEVEL.

When starting a decorating project, you should first evaluate the room. And the best way to evaluate a room is to empty it. With furnishings, window treatments, and artwork banished, the room’s pluses — and minuses — are ex­posed. Far better to deal with defects at this point than to waste money and effort trying to disguise them later. Check walls, ceilings, windows, and woodwork. Is there glass that needs replacing? Are there plaster cracks?

The basic elements — walls, ceiling, and floor — are central to the overall appearance of your room. Most often, kitchens and baths will show the greatest wear and tear. Sometimes, if you’re changing houses, a thorough cleaning of the rooms in the new space instills life.

However, these well-used rooms usually require more. Tiles in floors and walls can be regrouted or recaulked. Tubs can be reglazed. Maybe this is an opportunity to upgrade the plumbing. Substituting a standard-size whirlpool tub for a bathtub is a luxurious leap forward.

And small alterations zoom a lackluster bath or kitchen into the limelight, too. Replace the doors on sound but ho-hum cabinets, and bring in new hardware.

Now’s the time to find a corner where a closet will fit, add a window, or reconfigure walls and doorways. If you don’t want the expense of relocating the toilet, why not compartmentalize it with a half-wall?

The wall’s top can serve as a shelf for pretty toiletries or plants to increase the sense of privacy. Architectural moldings can transform bare walls, dull windows, ho-hum cabinets, or an uninteresting fireplace. For that matter, a brand-new fireplace (gas or wood-burning) would give the great room a focal point and the whole house an in­creased aura of welcome.

Electrical systems often need to be updated, especially in older homes. In addition to more outlets, consider recessed lighting, wall sconces, and ceiling fans. Faced with a blank canvas, you’ll begin to see all the possibilities.

Many people do not have the luxury of decorating a home without looking at the price tag on fabrics and materials. On the next page, learn how to decorate your home on a budget.